VMSpc

...........Adds Requested..........
Maybe these are blue-sky ideas. Weren't they all at one time?

a1.Drivers: During install, drop a '\Drivers' folder within c:\VMSpc. Otherwise, when migrating VMSpc folder to another PC, user must jump through some additional hoops, really needlessly, if that folder existed.

b1.Stacked Gauges: Add ability to select two or more gauges and lock together/ anchor one to the other, (Send Front, Send back)

9.Histogram: Could sure use some sort of grid or flexible, usable reference lines. Start and End-Line with value (to show change)

10.Gauge Palate colors: Custom Colors (per gauge) are carrying over to (shared by) Night palate from Day. Should be independent of Night or Day.

10-b.Gauge Palate colors: Pin-8 headlight activation. Headlights-on activates night-palate. This is for the new hardware spin.

11.Communications: AutoRestart; checkbox is superfluous. Recode it so its always doing this; remove the check-box and dialog.

12.Diagnostics Gauge: Tire messages. We currently don't trap these in this gauge-tool. Can we start with and capture J1939 PressurePro Gateway messages by building it into the parser?

13.Diagnostics Gauge: Audible Alarms. The user, currently, must set up the alarms per-fault. Why not have that part of the DIAGS gauge function; alarm on fault: Engine/Trans/ABS/Tires... Add to Properties box, alarm on RED fmi or tire messages. Add ability to cancel this alert , ,

14.TPMS Parsing: Add J1939 parsing for Advantage PressurePro enabling us to use either the original J1708 Bridge or the new J1939 Gateway.

15.Name, Value and Warning Lamps: Currently, we have the Name and Value beside the Warning Lamp. On TPMS, its the pressure and lamp--both take more space than they need, reducing the size of all elements in order to see the bunch. Instead, lets put the Value IN the Lamp. The TPMS would then just be the Colored Lamp and embedded Value, resizing within it. This will make all gauge info easier and faster to digest.

21.Alarms: Single-button "Alert" audible alarm feature in gauge properties. GUI "Sound Effects" pop-up then selects file or _records_from_local_mic_. Is there a way to show time-length of selected file?

22.Clock: Add ability to select 12hr or 24hr clock.

23.Regen Status: We don't parse it; Can we add this for both J1708 and J1939? [Caller with J1708, Cat C-9 sees this on the ECU readout at CAT.]

FIXES (needed):1.Win-10, Defender gives us the boot On install, if program 'sits' idle without being installed, Defender boots it out. Install program is not the problem, Defenders' 'Heuristics' are flagging us as a maybe. (In Work; current work-around is to disconnect from the internet and disable Defender, then re-enable after installation.)

2.Help menu item, needs a link to FAQ and Website. Link to manual works. Working on a 'boiler plate' which will consistently work on OS XP ~ Win-10)

9.Full Screen (XP): Wonky space at screen bottom.
(Moved down the list. Very difficult to fix; focusing on the more problematic issues instead.)

11.Engine Type: Wrong directory opens by default, reverts to My Documents. Next build: drop Additional Engine folder in c:\VMSpc and the balance of stuff in the hierarchical folder (...\VMSpc_4.0.6). This puts the engines in a constant-known location.

12.When playing .WAV file: Hangs on some Win-10.
(worked on this but couldn't reproduce it.)

14.Full Screen: Under Win-10, Tablets: Long background press does not ESC from Full screen.

20.Maintenance List; displays "0" (mileage) interval (on the list) though it functions correctly while doing so--and while editing. should read 5000 or 10000 or whatever the interval is both during Edit and on the List.

21.Data Logging; Should--but doesn't continue logging when program is closed and re-opened. "In versions 3.xx the selected data remained selected and was always there without having to always re-select after ever closing of the program."

22.Anti-Virus and Install; Some AV screw up the process; Its been found that, during install, When certain AV is active, it may filter out files at random. This may be a process of scanning them real-time and them getting...'lost'(?). Can we build in a check-sum; verify that the needed files are present and fixed if not? [SX include wonky Odometer, fuel & mileage calcs and missing gear-attained indicator.]

23.J1708/J1939 tool; after being set, it may revert back to 'Both' or 'leak(?)' data. After selecting J1939 only, program reverted to 'Both' on its own randomly.

24.Engine Corrections Prefills Offset and multiplier box with spurious data. Can be zero'd (by entering 0.0 or a needed amount)--but will revert to something spurious when opened again unless unique value is inserted.

25.Gauges Not Staying Locked Gauges stay Locked while program is running. Once program is exited and restarted, the Gauges are No Longer locked.

The enhanced understanding of my motorhome’s operation I gained by using VMSpc on my laptop was so great that I undertook building a dedicated system into my 1996 Safari Serengeti. I picked the VIA SP13000 mini-itx motherboard since this would make a compact installation and would provide the ability to display the VMSpc data as well as GPS data and rear view camera data.

In addition to the motherboard I purchased a M1ATX power supply that is designed to power a computer from a 12V DC supply, a 100 MB laptop hard drive, a DVD R/W, a WXGA 15.5” LCD display and a Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-150 TV converter. The VIA SP13000 has pretty capable video and sound chips as well as a wide assortment of I/O ports including a serial port for the VMSpc. I didn’t want to deal with a USB to serial converter. To lessen the vibration input to the system I mounted the computer on a plywood base which I isolated from the motorhome with a soft foam suspension system. I replaced the existing dashboard with one I fabricated from 1/8” aluminum with the display occupying the entire center section. I chose to retain the speedometer, fuel, oil pressure and turbo boost steam gages and put them on the side as backup in case of a computer failure somewhere down the road. Since I had to fabricate the new dashboard I elected to include a Smart Tire system and a variable speed wiper control. I also included a switch and indicator lamps for the computer power and hard drive activity. I installed the DVD in the dash as well as RJ-45 LAN and USB ports. The USB port allows me to plan a trip on my laptop and transfer it to the dashboard for display. I am an active digital photographer so I included a CF card reader for dumping photos into the computer. I installed a track ball on the console beside the driver seat and use a wireless keyboard for setup or if I want to use the computer when we are in camp. The Hauppauge unit includes a remote and lets me display TV and record video on the hard drive to give a “TIVO” capability. I have made provisions for driving a remote display. I intend to remove the existing TV and replace it with a flat panel monitor driven by the computer. Sound data is passed to a Panasonic radio and amplifier system. Internet access is via hot spots and a Linksys wireless router into the RJ-45 port. I also had to purchase a new rear view camera as the original one did not provide a mirror image and the computer did not have enough capability to flip it.

I purchased some wood veneer which I used to cover the aluminum dash. Since the new dash is almost three inches taller than the old one I had to fabricate a new cover for the dash. I used aluminum and fiberglass to build it and covered it with foam and vinyl. Without question this was the hardest part of the installation. The cover provides a small sun shield. The display washes out somewhat in direct sunlight but is still quite readable. For night driving I reverse the streets colors and turn the display brightness down.

I am running Windows XP Home as the OS with VMSpc 2.2, WinTV and Street Atlas which I just recently upgraded to 2007. I have arranged the VMSpc data across the top and down the right side of the screen. Street Atlas 2007 fits beneath and to the left of the VMSpc data. I run the WinTV always on top but with no controls visible and have positioned the window over a non-critical part of the Streets display.

I originally provided a relay system that would power the computer up when the key was turned on or by a switch on the panel. I have since disabled the key activation and just turn it on before I start up the engine. The display runs from 12 V DC. I wasn’t able to get any data on allowable input voltage range so I regulate the voltage to the panel to 12V to make sure I am not supplying to high of a voltage to it. I am running the computer from the house batteries to avoid any transients from the starter. I have had the system installed for over a year and 7000 miles now and the only problem to date has been a faulty hard drive cable. I had used the circular cables rather than the flat ones but switched to the flat ones after the failure.

I have attached photos of the installation and the screen layout. My only regret is that I waited so long to do it.

I have successfully added a 7" LCD monitor to my laptop to display the VMSpc software. The wife used the laptop screen to use the GPS software and I didn't want to "infringe" on her space. The 7" VGA monitor worked great using the dual monitor option in Windows XP.

Now I have a seperate monitor on my side to continually display the VMS, the picture quality is great, and I can monitor all of the related gauges without taking my eyes too far away from the line of sight while driving. I mounted the 7" LCD screen on the top left corner of my dash display.

I assume most of you use the Cruise gauge to tell you what speed the Cruise Control is set at.
Here is a little enhancement you may wish to try.

Enter the VMS Edit program.
Hit New.

Call the new guage "Cruise Status".
I call the abbreviation "CS".
Set the PID to 85.
Set Gauge Minimum to 0.
Set Low Red Line to 1.
Set High Red Line to 150.
Set Gauge Max to 150.
Set Low Yellow to 2.
Set High Yellow to 150.
Save the settings.

Start the VMSpc program.

Make a new Simple Guage.
Select Cruise Status.
Select location as Center.
Check only the Show Warning Lamp, box.
Set the color to Black.

Size the guage so all you see is the round indicator lamp in the square.

Place this square next to your Cruise Guage.

Now, when the Cruise Control is turned OFF, the guage will be RED.
When the Cruise Control is ON and active it will be GREEN.
When the Cruise Control is ON but NOT active it will be YELLOW.

Here is a little tool for editing a trip odometer file. This program lets you adjust the starting point for your current trip - even allowing you to create a "trip" that is the entire coach history.

To use it, you first must figure out the name of the trip odometer file. Right-click on the odometer, then click "View History". At the top of the history file window will be the name of the history file, something like "Odo31415926.odo.txt". Remember that name.

Next, start OdometerEditor.exe, and open the file with the same name you just remembered, but without the ".txt" extension. The program will then show you the starting point for the current trip leg on that odometer. You can adjust those values however you like.

For example, to create an odometer that shows your totals and averages since the coach was born, simply set all the start values (fuel, time, and miles) to zero. That's all you have to do.

To install the program, just download it into your VMSpc directory. That's all. To run the program, click on the Start menu, select "Run ..." or "Run Program", click Browse, and browse to the VMSpc directory and click on the program icon/name.

Hi Art. Tried v4.0.7, and still not seeing the gear selected in the transmission gauge. I even tried installing a second transmission gauge, and it's working exactly like the first. When I run VMSpc without the box connected, I am seeing both question marks. However, when the box is connected, the gear selection question mark will appear for 3-5 seconds, then disappear. I've tried it with both the ignition on and off (my J1939 is always hot), and get the same results both ways. I've also tried with both the ISL 450 and ISL9 450 engine files, and still get the same result on my Jan 2015 dated ISL.

I am looking at getting the VMSpc. Can someone explain how the logging works. What I would like for it to do is automatically start logging when it is running. How does it name the log files? Does it have a new name for each time it starts logging, does it over write the last file or keep adding to the file.

Also I am buying a MotorHome with a Cummings ILS9 450HP. Is the 9 pin JIB with USB still the best way to go?

Bought a NuVision 8" Windows 10 Tablet. VMSpc installs ok and runs.
However, when selecting communications and scanning for jib it freezes and becomes non-responsive.
Reinstalled it a few times. No change.

Has anyone tried adding I/O to the J1939 bus? I'd like to add several sensors (pyrometer, fuel pressure, etc) for display within VMSpc. I've found both integrated sensor/broadcasters and I/O controllers. Most appear to be targeting the OEM market. The Murphy XM500 module would cover my needs and at a reasonable cost: http://shopping.murcal.com/Catalog/J1939-CANbus-Input-Output-Modules/XM500-J1939-I-O-Module

One thing that makes me nervous is they all seem to list OFF highway vehicles in their list of applications. Too hazardous to add controllers to the bus of an on highway vehicle?

Now you can use your Windows-based PC tablet or notebook to monitor your engine - with the VMSpc. VMSpc is an intelligent data translator that links between your USB port and engine diagnostic connector on your rig. Together with the special software, it allows you to read performance and diagnostic information right on your laptop computer. You get complete real-time performance gauges, diagnostics, trip information and graphing system that lets you display any number of parameters at once. You can even store the engine data to a file and load it into a spreadsheet.

But wait! There's more! VMSpc let's you program audible alarms based on any engine parameter. For example, you can set it to play any MP3 or WAV file (grab a microphone and record your own!) when your road speed reaches a certain point. Have it played once, once a minute, or continuously.

And you can create a "Tank Minder", which provides a miles-to-empty calculation based on your tank size and fuel economy. VMSpc lets you enter correction factors to compensate for a poorly calibrated engine/ drivetrain. You can even program gauges to read in metric, if you desire.

Professional engineers use VMSpc to test their vehicle designs. Now you can use the same tools to test your coach.

Feel free to Download the VMSpc software - it's free. In fact, SilverLeaf Electronics is committed to provide the VMSpc software and all updates absolutely free on our web site. We welcome your input and encourage you to tell us what you'd like to see in future versions of VMSpc.

System Requirements

-Windows - Any version except 'RT'
-Any hardware, tablet, notebook or lugable produced since 1997
-Available full-size USB-A Port### This is a product for Windows-Based computers aka "PCs" ###
It is not Apple or Android tablet compatible.
It may be used via Fusion, VMware on your Apple notebook however.

I have been using V 4.03 on an old XP machine for several years. I just downloaded V 4.0.6b to a Windows 10 tablet. The text inside the gauges is a light brown color and the values are in white. On my older screen they were both black and much easier to read. The manual has only a sentence or two about changing text color that is not of much use to me.

I have been running vmspc 4.05 for a few months now and recently my transmission gear info gauge stopped displaying what gear i am in. Its just ?? for the last couple of weeks. Yesterday the Oil Pressure stopped updating. I have made sure my malwarebytes & defender scanner has your vmspc folder excluded. All the other gauges appear to be working. Although the mph and water temp changes lag quite a bit more than they did a month ago.

Greetings... I tested v4, but it looks like v3 is still the way to go for me for now (still not getting the gear selected in the transmission gauge for starters). Before firing v3 back up, I ran the PID sniffer in v4 and grabbed some screen shots because of my OCDness. Anyway, I noticed that the PID sniffer in v4 gave me a 412 PID for EGR, which does not come up in v3's PID sniffer. Would I be able to get a working EGR gauge in v3 if I copied all the parameters from the EGR gauge in v4? Thanks in advance.

INSTALLED v4.0.5 in our Windows 8.1 1 running in Parallels 10 Version 10.3.0 (29227) in MAC OS Sierra Version 10.12.4, configured & tested OK. Now, when we try to open it, all we get is “Error Reading File”. Sure wish there was a Mac version of the software.

v4.0.5 was released in late June 2016. As it has significant issues, it's "Experimental only" for now. For First-Time USB installs, use v2.5 ~ v3.1. Leave comments for needed fixes here, first checking the bug-list to see if its already been added. Of course, please add needed detail on PC type, Operating system (XP, Win10...etc) databus (J1708 etc), USB vs WiFi...

After 70,115 miles I had to put in a new engine due to improper balance of Coolant by previous owner. I do not want to reset the coach data for total miles, fuel consumed, hours, etc. However I would like to reset those items on the VMSpc. Is this possible? Due to a few miles traveled, I will need to enter these numbers manually in the beginning. Thanks